The Iraq War has thrown such a heavy shadow on Afghanistan that you can't hardly get any news about that now. I went to Afghanistan this year and spent more time there than I did in Iraq ... just 'cause they were forgotten about, and I wanted them to know that I appreciated it.

Don't compromise even if it hurts to be yourself.

It's time the long arm of the law put a few more in the ground, send them all to their maker and he'll settle them down.

... I like the clubs because ... we have two or three acoustic guitars up there and we're not hard-core slamming or stomping through the music. We're singing it with intricate harmonies and really showing the craftsmanship.

I agree: Americans can be very apathetic. We're not proactive. We sit and watch TV.

If I hear a conversation and somebody says something intriguing, my first thought is, Is that a song? I write all year long, and at the end of the year I pull these forty or fifty things out and say which of these things do I want to record.

Kids on the Youtube, learning how to be cool.